Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By Benjamin Franklin

Page 53

to try for a countryschool, which he thought himself well qualified to undertake, as hewrote an excellent hand, and was a master of arithmetic and accounts.This, however, he deemed a business below him, and confident of futurebetter fortune, when he should be unwilling to have it known that heonce was so meanly employed, he changed his name, and did me thehonour to assume mine; for I soon after had a letter from him,acquainting me that he was settled in a small village (in Berkshire, Ithink it was, where he taught reading and writing to ten or a dozenboys, at sixpence each per week), recommending Mrs. T---- to my care,and desiring me to write to him, directing for Mr. Franklin,schoolmaster, at such a place.

He continued to write frequently, sending me large specimens of anepic poem which he was then composing, and desiring my remarks andcorrections. These I gave him from time to time, but endeavour'drather to discourage his proceeding. One of Young's Satires[41] wasthen just published. I copy'd and sent him a great part of it, whichset in a strong light the folly of pursuing the Muses with any hope ofadvancement by them. All was in vain; sheets of the poem continued tocome by every post. In the meantime, Mrs. T----, having on his accountlost her friends and business, was often in distresses, and us'd tosend for me and borrow what I could spare to help her out of them. Igrew fond of her company, and, being at that time under no religiousrestraint, and presuming upon my importance to her, I attemptedfamiliarities (another erratum) which she repuls'd with a properresentment, and acquainted him with my behaviour. This made a breachbetween us; and, when he returned again to London, he let me know hethought I had cancell'd all the obligations he had been under to me.So I found I was never to expect his repaying me what I lent to him oradvanc'd for him. This, however, was not then of much consequence, ashe was totally unable; and in the loss of his friendship I foundmyself relieved from a burthen. I now began to think of getting alittle money beforehand, and, expecting better work, I left Palmer'sto work at Watts's, near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a still greaterprinting-house.[42] Here I continued all the rest of my stay in London.

Text Comparison with Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin; Written by Himself. [Vol. 1 of 2]
With His Most Interesting Essays, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings; Familiar, Moral, Political, Economical, and Philosophical, Selected with Care from All His Published Productions, and Comprising Whatever Is Most Entertaining and Valuable to the General Reader

My scheme of _Order_ gave me the most trouble; and I found
that though it might be practicable where a man's business was such as
to leave him the disposition of his time, that of a journeyman-printer,
for instance, it was not possible to be exactly observed by a master,
who must mix with the world, and often receive people of business at
their own hours.

"While attending this affair, I had an opportunity of looking over
the old council books and journals of the society; and having a
curiosity to see how I came in (of which I had never been
informed), I looked back for the minutes relating to it.

Considering the
accidents to which all human affairs and projects are subject in such a
length of time, I have, perhaps, too much flattered myself with a vain
fancy that these dispositions, if carried into execution, will be
continued without interruption, and have the effects proposed; I hope,
however, that if the inhabitants of the two cities should not think fit
to undertake the execution, they will at least accept the offer of these
donations as a mark of my good-will, a token of my gratitude, and a
testimony of my earnest desire to be useful to them even after my
departure.

FOOTNOTES:
[18] The following appears to be the history of this celebrated Act:
Until 1763, whenever Great Britain wanted supplies directly from the
colonies, the secretary of state, in the king's name, sent them a letter
of requisition, in which the occasion for the supplies was expressed;
and the colonies returned a _free gift_, the mode of levying which
_they_ wholly prescribed.